BMW X7 Review & Prices

Let’s address the elephant in the room – oh, and this elephant also has a set of comedy gnashers on. Yes, the way the BMW X7 looks will not be to everybody’s taste, but if you like your large luxurious SUVs to be imposing, it doesn’t get much more so than the X7’s whopping great grille filling somebody’s rearview mirror.

In fact, the BMW X7 is arguably more imposing than the upmarket SUVs it competes with, the Land Rover Discovery, Audi Q7 and Mercedes GLS. Even a full-fat Range Rover. Think of it as American sports announcer Michael Buffer at a headteacher’s conference.

Watch: BMW X7 v Range Rover

Inside, things are more restrained, but suitably high quality. You’ll find plenty of piano black, leather and metal surfaces, while adding a (pricey) full merino leather option brings leather lower down and a two-tone shade. Ultimately, you’ll struggle to find any scratchy plastics here and the X7 gives all its alternatives a run for their money inside.

The dash is dominated by the curved twin-screen display that incorporates BMW’s latest iDrive infotainment system. It’s stunning to look at, but not quite as easy to use as the previous generation. There are a few functions that are now buried in menus rather than easily accessible with a single button press. It still has a rotary controller with menu shortcut buttons between the front seats, and you can choose to use that, the touchscreen or use voice commands.

The second screen behind the steering wheel takes the place of conventional instruments. It’s clear, crisp and configurable, so you can have the information displayed that you want, including things like speed, fuel consumption, navigation info and your radio or media selection. Bluetooth, DAB radio and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring is all included, although not Android Auto. All-in-all, it’s better than anything from Audi or Land Rover, although the digital dash and infotainment in the Mercedes GLS is even better.

The BMW X7 is a proper seven-seater as standard, which is to say, two adults will be able to sit in comfort in its rearmost seats on a long journey. A BMW X5’s optional third row is much tighter, for example.

The X7’s front two rows are even more spacious and the driver is treated to a wide range of electric seat and wheel adjustment. In fact, the middle row can be adjusted and folded electrically, while the third row folds into the boot floor electrically too. Handy buttons in the boot allow you to fold the rear two rows all at the same time for ease.

Even with all seven seats up, the X7 still offers 320 litres of boot space, which is about the same as a VW Polo. Fold the rearmost seats down and that grows to a huge 750 litres – that’ll handle pretty much anything a family can throw at it. And you get a fancy split tailgate.

You have a choice between one diesel and two petrol engines when buying a BMW X7. The pick of the bunch is the X7 xDrive40d diesel because, with 352hp and an official fuel economy of 32.8-36.2mpg, it has all the power you’ll need, but will keep the bills sensible. The 530hp M60i petrol is much quicker, but also much more expensive in every way, while the 381hp 40i petrol is strong and smooth, but thirstier than the diesel.

The BMW X7 is vast, so driving and parking it in town can be a little daunting. Still, it comes with front and rear sensors, multiple cameras for a 3D view of the car and a system that’ll park and even reverse for you. So, no excuses then.

Out of town and on meandering country roads the X7 is one of the tidiest SUVs of its type to drive despite its size, but you’ll probably be more interested in just how comfortable its air suspension is over bumps and how quiet it is at a cruise on the motorway. There’s very little wind and road noise at all, and adding BMW’s Driving Assistant Professional optional package brings a system that will accelerate, brake and keep you in your lane for an even more relaxing drive.

So, make peace with its looks, don’t get carried away with BMW’s options list and the X7 is a fine luxury seven-seat SUV. Remember, though, that it’s more expensive to buy than a Discovery or Q7, and that if you don’t need seven roomy seats, BMW’s cheaper X5 makes much more sense.

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So, whichever way you cut it, the X7 is an expensive car. The diesel is both the cheapest to buy and run, so that’s where the sensible money goes. Then again, where’s the fun in being sensible? The petrol cars – especially the M60i – are great to drive.

Even the entry-level Excellence spec comes loaded with standard kit, so there’s no need to spend more. The M Sport upgrades are largely cosmetic, although you do get uprated brakes. The M60i is a spec level of its own, and it’s very expensive.

Air suspension makes for a comfortable ride, and all versions are quick, but the sheer size of the X7 means it’s not most at home in tight urban surroundings

In town

The elephantine looks are matched to elephantine dimensions, so this isn’t an easy car to drive in narrow city streets. Even if you are used to a big 4x4, the likes of the X7 or Merc GLS take up a whole postcode.

You sit up high, though, which gives a good view out so it’s not too hard to judge where the car’s extremities are. If the third row of seats are upright the view behind you is not so good because the head restraints are in the way. It’s just as well the X7 comes with cameras to help when parking.

Rear-wheel steering is optional on most versions, but standard on the M60i. It’s well worth paying for if you spend a lot of time in town, as it turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts during low-speed manoeuvres to make the turning circle more manageable.

Once you are used to the sheer size of the thing, you can enjoy the comfortable ride. Air suspension is standard and copes well with speed bumps and potholes.

On the motorway

Motorways suit the big X7 better than town driving, especially if you pay the extra for the Technology Plus Pack, which includes the Driving Assistance Professional features. These take care of steering, accelerating and braking under the watchful eye of the driver to make long trips more relaxing.

Even without this pack, the X7 is a superb tool for racking up high mileages. There’s very little engine or tyre noise, despite the colossal size of the wheels. You do hear some wind flutter, but nothing too intrusive.

All three engines have more than enough performance for motorway driving. The diesel is the smart choice, as it will be more economical than either of the petrol models. 

On a twisty road 

Don’t buy the X7 expecting it to handle like a Porsche Cayenne. For a car of this size and weight, though, it’s enjoyable to drive on a twisty road.

The M60i is the best of the bunch. The air suspension has a sportier set-up and a clever anti-roll system that keeps the car flat in the bends even when you’re hustling along. And it has all that power.

It is a big old car, though, and the narrower the road the more you feel that the car’s bulk gets in the way of the fun. It’s at its best on open, sweeping roads rather than narrow back routes.

Absolutely huge inside – even the third row is roomy

Something would need to be seriously amiss for a 5.2-metre-long SUV to be anything less than spacious and practical. BMW has made full use of the X7’s dimensions – your first flat probably had less space.

The driver has the best seat in the house. You sit up really high, and although the driving position is not quite as regal as a Range Rover’s, it’s not far off. You look down on other road users and can see over the top of smaller cars when you’re stuck in traffic.

Even with the standard-fit panoramic sunroof, there’s lots of headroom for tall drivers, and with electric seat adjustment and memory you can fine-tune the driving position until it’s just how you like it. Comfort seats are standard, although sportier chairs are available as an option if you want more support when cornering.

Legroom is equally generous, and if you’re at the other end of the height spectrum you can lift the seat high enough for a good view out.

There’s plenty of storage, even though the handbook and air fresheners eat up most of the space in the glovebox. There are big door bins, and twin cupholders between the two front seats. You also get more storage space under the armrest.

Space in the back seats

The X7 comes with seven seats as standard, although you can opt for a six-seat layout with two individual chairs in the second row if you prefer.

Unlike some seven seaters, even the third row is reasonably spacious. Adults can be surprisingly comfortable unless they are very tall, and there’s more under-thigh support than you get in most third rows.

There’s loads of room if you are sat in the middle row. The seats move back and forth electrically, so you can give those in the very back some of your legroom. There’s plenty to start with, so you can afford to be generous. The width of the car means you can seat three in the second row without anyone feeling hemmed in.

As standard, there are separate temperature controls for either side of the cabin.

Boot space 

Another advantage of being absolutely bloomin’ huge is the boot space the X7 offers, even with all seven seats in place. The 320-litre capacity is easily enough for a weekly shop.

Lower the back seats and that jumps to 750 litres, which is absolutely huge. We’re talking room for a family’s holiday bags, even if your tribe never travel light.

For comparison, a Mercedes GLS has 355 litres in seven-seat mode, rising to 890 with the rearmost two folded and a BMW X5 has up to 650 litres in five-seat form, and a Land Rover Discovery has 258 litres with all seven seats up, but that goes up to 1137 with the back two folded.

The X7’s third row can be folded too, making an enormous space for tip runs, although the X7 seems too posh for carrying garden rubbish.

You won’t need to leave the luggage cover behind, as there’s room to stash it under the floor.

The folding tailgate is another handy feature, so you have somewhere to perch when taking wellies off after a walk in the country.

Superbly made with an impressive but complicated infotainment system

The outside of the X7 is not going to please everyone, but the interior is less controversial. This is an extremely stylish and well-made machine – it’s more of a luxury car on stilts than a conventional SUV.

The dashboard is dominated by the twin-screen display, which BMW has fitted to the X7 since its mid-life facelift. The two screens sit side by side so at first glance they look like one display, curving over the top of the dashboard.

With punchy colours and crisp graphics it’s an eye-catching set up. The display in front of the driver can be configured to prioritise different information, and in the M60i it features ‘M’ colours to remind you that you’re sat in the super-fast range-topper.

The infotainment is taken care of by the second screen. Again, it looks stunning, and BMW’s iDrive rotary controller remains a clever way to manage a complex system. However, in trying to keep the dash design clean and minimal, more functions are now buried in a touchscreen menu, rather than easily accessible through buttons on the dashboard or steering wheel. Although the latest set-up looks amazing, we think the previous-generation was easier to use.

Take the climate control. You have to push a button to pull up the climate control menu, which is a bit of a faff. Even more annoyingly, whereas before you could adjust the distance setting for the adaptive cruise control using a button on the steering wheel, you now need to go through a series of on-screen menus, which is distracting while you are driving.

Once you’ve found the settings you want, just sit back and enjoy the quality of the cabin. There are high-class materials wherever you look. Even the entry-spec Excellence cars have merino leather upholstery and Sensatec (an artificial leather) on the dash.

Since being facelifted, the X7 has come with a mild hybrid system to take some strain off the engine and improve fuel economy and emissions. There’s a limit to what a 48-volt starter-generator can achieve, though – every X7 is a heavy and powerful car.

The obvious choice if you want to keep fuel bills sensible is to pick the xDrive40d diesel. It returns 32.8-36.2mpg, which is reasonable for a car of this size and performance.

The xDrive 40i petrol is a lot thirstier, returning 26.6-29.4mpg. Unsurprisingly, the 530hp drinks like a rugby prop forward, with an official economy of 21.9-23.2mpg. Use all that performance and you’ll be lucky to get anywhere near that.

There’s no plug-in hybrid or fully electric X7, although the pure-electric BMW iX should be on your shortlist if you want a big 4x4 but plan to turn your back on fossil fuels.

For company car drivers, every version of the X7 sits in the top 37% tax bracket as emissions are so high. Even the diesel emits 205-225g/km of carbon dioxide.

For private buyers, all X7 models cost well over the £40,000 barrier so attract a £390 annual surcharge for five years once the first year’s Vehicle Excise Duty runs out, as well as ranking high on the scale for first year road tax.

The X7 comes with lots of safety kit as standard. BMW’s Attentiveness Assistant will warn if it thinks you are getting tired, and autonomous emergency braking will slow the car if you’re not paying attention. You get enough airbags to raise a sunken ship, and a sophisticated stability control system.

More driver aids can be added to the standard spec with the Technology Plus Pack, although this is very expensive.

The crash-test boffins at Euro NCAP have not tested the X7, although the smaller X5 SUV scored the maximum five stars when tested in 2018.

Security kit includes an alarm.

BMW tends to sit in the middle of owner satisfaction and reliability surveys, although some models perform better than others. This is a complex and highly sophisticated car, so there’s plenty that could go wrong. However, we’re not hearing any horror stories about the X7.

Like other BMW models, the X7 comes with a three-year warranty which should protect against any unexpected bills.

For cast-iron reliability from a large SUV, we’d consider a Lexus RX.